On the Translatability of Linguistic Humor

Lifeng Ouyang

Abstract


In this paper the author is primarily concerned with linguistic, not cultural transfer in the translation of linguistic humor. A classification of linguistic humor is given, based on their translation possibilities and difficulties. We try to determine the relation between translatability and linguistic means. We hold that linguistic humor is on the whole translatable, but in some cases it may be a formidable task. When this happens, adaptation as an alternative can be used, though it is not a panacea.


Keywords


Linguistic humor; Functional translation; Adaptation

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References


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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3968/9848

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